The Good Stuff
by MaraJadeSkywalkerJedi
Summary: Based off the hit song... please R/R


Dedication: Angie, this is for you.  
  
"FINE!" Luke shouted as he stormed from the apartment.  
  
He slammed the door of his speeder and sped away, eventually slowing down to match the speed of the traffic.  
  
His mind wandered during that time. Why was Mara having such a hard time with this? It wasn't as if it was the first solo, mission he had gone on, or the most dangerous. Why was she having such a hard time with this one?  
  
Seeing flashing lights out of the corner of his eye, Luke turned his head. A cantina. Perfect.  
  
He parked the speeder and stalked inside. There weren't very many people inside, and those who were were either asleep or too drunk to notice him. Good, no one can say they saw the galaxy's great Jedi Master drinking, he thought moodily.  
  
He ordered a drink and sat down. When the barkeeper set it down in front of him, he stared at it for a moment before lifting it off the table and putting it to his lips. Before he had a chance to drink any of it, though, the music being played caught his ear.  
  
Well, me and my lady had our first big fight  
  
So I drove around till I saw the neon light  
  
The Corner Bar. It just seemed right so I pulled up.  
  
Not a soul around but the old bar-keep down at the end lookin' half asleep but he walked up and said, "What'll it be?" I said, "The good stuff." He didn't reach around for the whiskey. He didn't pour me a beer. His blue eyes kinda went misty. He said, "You can't find that here."  
  
Cause it's the first long kiss on a second date.  
  
Momma's all worried when you get home late  
  
and droppin' the ring in the spaghetti plate  
  
cause your hands are shakin' so much  
  
And It's the way that she looks with the rice in her hair. Eatin' burnt suppers the whole first year and askin' for seconds to keep her from teain' up...Yeah man, that's the good stuff.  
  
He grabbed a carton of milk and he poured a glass. And I smiled and said, "Ill have some of that." We sat there and talked as the hour passed like old friends. I saw a black and white picture and it caught my stare. It was a pretty girl with bu-font hair He said, "That's my Bonnie, Taken bout a year after we wed. He said, "I spent 5 years in the bar when the cancer took her from me. But I've been sober 3 years now cause the one things stronger than the whiskey...  
  
Was the sight of her holdin' my baby girl  
  
The way she adored that string of pearls I gave her the day that our youngest boy Earl married his high school love.  
  
Its a new t-shirt sayin' I'm a Grandpa.  
  
Bein' right there as our time got small  
  
and holdin' her hand when good Lord called her up  
  
Yeah man, that's the good stuff.  
  
He said, When you get home she'll start to cry.  
  
When she says, "I'm sorry, say, "So am I." Look into those eyes so deep in love...and drink it up...'cause that's the good stuff.  
  
That's the good stuff  
  
Luke stared down at the table, his eyes glazing over as memories rushed through his mind.  
The forest on Myrkr, Mara's arm around his shoulders, pushing him to the ground, her blaster shoved up against his jaw. His enemy, yet his protector. She had threatened to kill him, yet she had saved him from certain harm.  
  
Wayland in Thrawn's throne room, battling the deranged Jedi clone, Joruus C'baoth. Then, Mara, using Leia's lightsaber, killing Luke's clone, once again, protecting him.  
  
A few days after that, on the roof of the old Imperial Palace, when he had given Mara his old lightsaber. Her confused look, then her acceptance.  
  
Ten years later, when she had come to rescue him, again, when he had been trapped at the pirate base. Then, her disappearance. Finally, he had found her, in a cave on an unfamiliar planet. Their journey through the caverns and tunnels.  
  
She had been injured. He had put her into a healing trance, then he had been left alone with his thoughts. He had refused to let himself care for her, certain that such a closeness would put her in danger.  
  
Then, that deadly hour in Nirauan's caves, when they had experienced such mental and emotional melding that had been hard to tell whose thoughts and emotions were whose, when they had both finally realized how much they loved each other.  
  
Their wedding day.  
  
Abruptly, Luke snapped back to reality. What am I doing? he wondered. He set the glass back down, along with the credits to pay for it, and left.  
  
The traffic was heavier than it had been when he had left the apartment, but this time, he had no patience for it.  
  
His comlink buzzed. He reached for it, hesitating only a moment before flipping it on. "Skywalker."  
  
He had expected it to be Mara, but it wasn't. After listening for a few moments, he began to smile. "You did?" He felt relief flood him. "Thank you."  
  
He switched the comlink off and tossed it back on the seat next to him, now even more eager to get home.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Luke parked the speeder back in its spot and headed towards the apartment.  
  
The door slid open, and Mara turned her head toward it. "Luke." She rose from her position on the couch, wiping her eyes as new tears began to flow- this time, tears of relief. "I didn't know what to think- I thought you had decided to leave early." She was cut off as Luke pulled her into a tight embrace.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mara," he whispered.  
  
Mara rested her head on his shoulder, luxuriating in his embrace. "Me, too," she said softly. 'But you were right."  
  
Luke shook his head gently. "No, I wasn't. But it doesn't matter anymore. They got someone else to cover the mission."  
  
Mara pulled away slightly. "They did?" she asked, unable to keep a tinge of her relief out of her voice.  
  
He nodded. "I just found out." He studied her face for a moment. "What was bothering you about it so much?"  
  
Mara looked down, shaking her head. "I don't know. I just had the worst feeling that I was never going to see you again if you left."  
  
" A vision?"  
  
"No. Just a feeling."  
  
He pulled her close again. "Like I would ever let that happen, anyway," he joked.  
  
Mara shook her head ruefully. "Jedi doesn't mean invincible, Skywalker."  
  
"Hey, I can dream, can't I?" he protested.  
  
"Not if it 's gonna give you delusions, no, you can't," she shot back.  
  
"All right, all right. I'll stop," Luke conceded. He brought his hand up to gently stroke her cheek. "I love you, Mara."  
  
"I love you, too, Luke," she murmured. "And I always will."  
  
And that was that. No more apology was need from either one; each understood what the other felt- relief that they had made amends and Luke wasn't going on the mission, and regret over the pain they had caused each other. But each forgave the other, and they became closer as a result. 


End file.
